The Upper Iowa University softball team picked up their second walk-off win in as many days as they split their NSIC doubleheader against Minnesota State University-Moorhead. The Peacocks won a back-and-forth affair in game one as they scored eight of their 12 runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The winning run came across on a walk-off single that ended the game in six innings due to run rule as UIU won 12-4. In game two, the Peacocks rallied late after being down 5-1, but their comeback effort came up just short as they lost by a score of 5-4 following a game-ending double play after the Peacocks were down by one with the bases loaded.
GAME 1: Upper Iowa 12, MSU-Moorhead 4 (6 Inn.)
The Peacocks found themselves down early as the Dragons scored a pair of unearned runs after the UIU defense allowed two hits, two passed balls, and an error in the top of the first inning.
Kaylee Frenette looked to help the Peacocks come up with an answer as she notched a leadoff single in the bottom of the first.
Amanda Williams laid down a successful sacrifice bunt in the ensuing at-bat to move Frenette into scoring position, and
Katie Crogan came through with an RBI single to cut into the Peacock deficit and score a run.
Sydney Wilcox recorded an RBI single of her own before the end of the inning to score Crogan, knotting the score at 2-2 after the first frame.
After both teams went scoreless in the second, Moorhead tacked on another unearned run after a single followed by another single and an error to go up 3-2. The score would remain the same through the top of the fourth inning, and the Peacocks were still in need of a comeback as their offense was looking at two outs in the bottom of the fourth with nobody on base. The No. 9 hitter,
Kaitlyn Carlson, kept the Upper Iowa offense alive with a single down the third base line, and back-to-back walks from Frenette and Williams loaded the bases with two down. Consecutive singles from Crogan and
Payton Kastenschmidt scored two for UIU and secured a 4-3 lead for the home team, but the Peacocks left the bases loaded to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Dragons struck out in their first at-bat before notching three straight singles to score a run and tie the game at four runs apiece.
Abby McKay got out of the inning and stranded the two Moorhead runners with a strikeout and a pop-out.
Kristin Sadler opened the UIU half of the fifth frame with a single, and the Peacocks loaded the bases after an out thanks to consecutive walks from pinch hitters
Sara Jessie and
Emily Draeger. A force-out at home on a ball put in play left the bases loaded with two outs, and Jessie retook the Peacock lead after scoring on a wild pitch. Williams tacked on two more runs for Upper Iowa with a single to knock the Dragon starter out of the game, and Crogan welcomed the new Moorhead pitcher by sending a two-run home run to straightaway center field to give UIU a 9-4 lead. The Peacocks got back-to-back singles from Kastenschmidt and Wilcox ahead of a walk from Sadler as the offense batted around, but a fielder's choice ended the inning and left the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Peacocks flied out to open the inning before a single from Carlson put a runner on and turned over the UIU order. Frenette reached on a fielder's choice that saw Carlson get to third safely after an error, and Williams scored both runners with a double to go up 11-4 and put the winning run in scoring position. The Moorhead starter came back in to pitch, but Crogan was walked before Kastenschmidt shot a single to right field to score Williams and end the game in walk-off fashion. UIU won by a score of 12-4 in a game that went six innings due to run rule.
GAME 2: MSU-Moorhead 5, Upper Iowa 4
Upper Iowa started the second game in the hole early as Moorhead scored a run in the top of the first to go up 1-0.
Payton Kastenschmidt led off the bottom of the second with a solo shot to knot the score at 1-1, but the Dragons reestablished their lead with back-to-back singles ahead of grounding into a double play that scored a run.
The score stayed 2-1 through the end of the fourth, but three consecutive singles to open the fifth frame gave the Dragons a 3-1 lead. A fielder's choice kept runners on first and second with one out, but a steal of third and a walk issued by
Sydney Wilcox loaded the bases. A Dragon single scored two and pushed the Moorhead lead to 5-1, and it brought
Abby McKay in to relieve Wilcox. Game one's winning pitcher drew a fly-out from her first batter faced to record the second out of the inning, but a walk loaded the bases yet again. McKay got out of the inning with another fly-out to keep the deficit at 5-1.
The Peacocks went down in order to close the fifth frame, and the Dragons were held scoreless despite three singles in the top of the sixth. UIU followed a one-out single with a double in bottom of the sixth, and a walk loaded the bases with Peacocks and brought the tying run to the plate. Kristen Sadler hit a sacrifice fly to score a run for Upper Iowa, and
Kaylee Frenette reached on an error that allowed
Samantha Jessie to score and bring the score to 5-3 before the inning ended.
McKay recorded two strikeouts in the top of the seventh to make sure the Peacocks had their best chance to mount a comeback, and the UIU offense got things going with back-to-back singles from
Katie Crogan and Kastenschmidt to lead off the final frame. Kastenschmidt recorded an out on the bases, but a third straight Peacock single off the bat of Wilcox scored Crogan to bring the Peacocks within one at 5-4.
Emily Draeger and Sam Jessie kept the offense rolling with the fourth and fifth consecutive singles for UIU to load the bases and bring McKay to the plate. Upper Iowa could not complete the comeback as McKay grounded into a game-ending double play to clinch the 5-4 win for MSU-Moorhead.
UP NEXT... The Peacocks wrap up their home stand with an NSIC doubleheader in Fayette, Iowa against Concordia University, St. Paul on Tuesday, Apr. 6. The two-game set is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at the Eischeid Softball Complex, with game two being scheduled for 3 p.m. immediately following the action.
